Edinburgh’s Filmhouse will reopen this year after securing a £1.5m grant.
The independent cinema was forced to close in October 2022 after its parent company Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) collapsed into administration.
But a campaign backed by actors, film makers and cinema goers has now been awarded UK government cash with the aim of reopening the doors in the autumn.
The group is hopeful it can agree a lease with building owners Caledonian Heritable in May.
- Lease deal agreed to save cinema
- Edinburgh Filmhouse building is sold for £2.65m
- Two high-profile attempts to buy Filmhouse fail
The cinema, on Lothian Road, opened inside the B-listed former church in 1979.
Campaigners, under the name Filmhouse Edinburgh Ltd, plan to refurbish all three theatres and the café bar and introduce a fourth, 22-seat screen courtesy of funding from the UK government’s levelling-up fund alongside money from Screen Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council.
A crowdfunding appeal is also close to reaching its £300,000 target.
Trustee Ginnie Atkinson said there was still funding to raise but added that the campaigners were confident they could raise the outstanding capital.
“This is absolutely transformational,” she said. “When we applied the amount was aspirational. We have to attract new audiences and make it a modern, comfortable cinema experience.
“The seating is 22 years old and in some of the screens, there isn’t even room to cross your legs so we need to offer better.
She said she believed the Filmhouse would offer something unique to other cinemas in terms of its programme, and could win back audiences.
She said: “The support we had in our fundraising campaign shows the huge number of communities we connect to, international students, film students, baby boomers, those who’ve gone on to work in the industry or ordinary punters.”
The cinema will face the same competition as it did before it closed in 2022 from streaming services and other cinemas.
The group is hopeful a 33% rise in cinema going since 2022 will also help and it is still exploring options regarding pricing, including “pay what you can”.
About 100 jobs were lost when the cinema collapsed into administration.
Another independent cinema, the Belmont, in Aberdeen, was also closed.
- Edinburgh film festival and cinemas cease trading
The aspirational opening date of 6 October will be too late for this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, which also closed down as a result of CMI’s demise.
Last year saw a slimmed down, temporary programme and details of the 2024 event, under a new organisation have yet to be announced.
David Smith, director of Screen Scotland said “That we will have the Filmhouse back, and better than ever is a tremendous outcome and all credit goes to the hardworking team that held on to that possibility and made it a reality across the last 18 months.”
Add Comment